CNN 2012-07-28

 Hey, I’m Anderson Cooper. Welcome to the podcast. In the wake of Aurora¹ why both parties are running away from even talking about gun laws. "Keeping Them Honest" also "The RidicuList," the Second Coming of the 13-year girl of the Apocalypse. That’s tonight’s … 

 

Good evening, everyone. There are new and remarkable² stories emerging from the Colorado tragedy including a young woman who was shot in the head who's not only up and walking already but may soon walk out of the hospital and back to a normal life. Though we hesitate to use the word miracle, her survival at the very least is the story of a rare and nearly miraculous³ pre-existing condition that she didn't even know she had. 

 

Her story and more just ahead. We begin tonight, though, "Keeping Them Honest", with a few lawmakers on Capitol Hill talking today about toughening gun laws in response to the shooting. But most politicians, especially President Obama and Mitt⁴ Romney, trying hard not to talk about it. Trying, it seems, to take gun control, whatever you think about it, off the table. 

 

Now at the same time, what little they are saying, both of them differ sharply from positions they once held. And again, it isn't for us to decide what's right or wrong when it comes to gun control. That's for you, the voters, to decide. We'll leave that up to you. 

 

But "Keeping Them Honest" tonight, both President Obama and former Governor Romney have either flip-flopped on the issue or backed away from it. And now, well, see if you can spot any difference between the two candidates. 

 

I still believe that the Second Amendment⁵ is the right course to preserve and defend and don't believe that new laws are going to make a difference in this kind of tragedy. 

 

It's Mitt Romney last night. Here's White House press secretary Jay Carney on Sunday. Quote, "The president's view is that we can take steps to keep guns out of the hands of people who should not have them under existing law. And that's his focus right now." 

 

Did you see much difference? Neither did the Republican House Speaker John Boehner today. 

 

As the president has made clear that he is not going to use this horrific event to push for new gun laws. I agree. 

 

Gun laws such as the ban on assault weapons that was passed during the Clinton administration. It barred the sale of assault rifles, specifically including the AR-15, and high capacity magazines(弹仓) like the 100-shot drum the Aurora shooter used. That law, though, had a built-in expiration⁶ date eight years ago. 

 

Four years ago, then candidate Obama supported reviving the law. 

 

The reality of gun ownership may be different for hunters in rural Ohio than they are for those plagued by gang violence in Cleveland. But don't tell me we can't uphold the Second Amendment while keeping AK-47s out of the hands of criminals? 

 

Well, he apparently⁷ felt the same last year in the wake of the Tucson shooting where the killer⁸ used a 30-shot clip(子弹夹) which would have been illegal under the expired law. 

 

The president, again, since I've been with him in 2004, has supported the assault weapons ban and we continue to do so. 

 

Well, this year, however, even before the Colorado massacre⁹, the White House was already backing away from the issue. 

 

The ban expired in 2004, has the president taken a stand on extending that? 

 

I'll have to get back to you on that. I don't have any new information on that. 

 

Just today White House spokesman Jay Carney says the president continues to support the weapons ban but described it as an issue for the future, not now. And as you heard at the top, Carney also said that existing laws are enough. But if President Obama has recently started downplaying the former position as the presidential campaign has gotten started, Mitt Romney has done a complete 180 on the issue. 

 

Here's what he said when he was running for governor of Massachusetts. 

 

We do have tough gun laws in Massachusetts. I support them. I won't chip away at them. I believe they help protect us and provide for our safety. 

 

That was in 2002 running for governor. Two years later Governor Romney signed a permanent assault weapons law. Deadly assault weapons had no place in the commonwealth¹⁰, he said at the time. Yet the next year in anticipation¹¹ of a presidential run, he began shifting his position on gun control. He designated May 7th the Right to Bear Arms Day in Massachusetts and he began quoting the National Rifle Association. 

 

Then in 2007, he became a lifetime member. "I'm after the NRA's endorsement," he said at the time. "I'm not sure they'll give it to me, I hope they will." 

 

Also that year when asked on "Meet the Press" whether he would bring back the Federal Assault Weapons Law - well, decide for yourself what he's saying here. 

 

I supported the assault weapon ban. 

 

And you're still for it? 

 

I have signed … 

 

Let me describe it. 

 

But you're still for it? 

 

Let's describe what it is. I signed, I would have supported the original assault weapon ban. I signed an assault weapon ban in Massachusetts as governor because it provided for a relaxation¹² of licensing¹³ requirements for gun owners in Massachusetts, which was a big plus. And so both the pro-gun and anti-gun lobby came together with a bill and I signed that. 

 

And if there is determined to be, from time to time, a weapon of such lethality that it poses a grave risk to our law enforcement personnel, that's something I would consider sign …

1 aurora   

n.极光

参考例句：

• The aurora is one of nature's most awesome spectacles.极光是自然界最可畏的奇观之一。
• Over the polar regions we should see aurora.在极地高空,我们会看到极光。

2 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

3 miraculous   

adj.像奇迹一样的，不可思议的

参考例句：

• The wounded man made a miraculous recovery.伤员奇迹般地痊愈了。
• They won a miraculous victory over much stronger enemy.他们战胜了远比自己强大的敌人，赢得了非凡的胜利。

4 mitt   

n.棒球手套，拳击手套，无指手套；vt.铐住，握手

参考例句：

• I gave him a baseball mitt for his birthday.为祝贺他的生日，我送给他一只棒球手套。
• Tom squeezed a mitt and a glove into the bag.汤姆把棒球手套和手套都塞进袋子里。

5 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

6 expiration   

n.终结，期满，呼气，呼出物

参考例句：

• Can I have your credit card number followed by the expiration date?能告诉我你的信用卡号码和它的到期日吗?
• This contract shall be terminated on the expiration date.劳动合同期满，即行终止。

7 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

8 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

9 massacre   

n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀

参考例句：

• There was a terrible massacre of villagers here during the war.在战争中，这里的村民惨遭屠杀。
• If we forget the massacre,the massacre will happen again!忘记了大屠杀，大屠杀就有可能再次发生！

10 commonwealth   

n.共和国，联邦，共同体

参考例句：

• He is the chairman of the commonwealth of artists.他是艺术家协会的主席。
• Most of the members of the Commonwealth are nonwhite.英联邦的许多成员国不是白人国家。

11 anticipation   

n.预期，预料，期望

参考例句：

• We waited at the station in anticipation of her arrival.我们在车站等着，期待她的到来。
• The animals grew restless as if in anticipation of an earthquake.各种动物都变得焦躁不安，像是感到了地震即将发生。

12 relaxation   

n.松弛，放松；休息；消遣；娱乐

参考例句：

• The minister has consistently opposed any relaxation in the law.部长一向反对法律上的任何放宽。
• She listens to classical music for relaxation.她听古典音乐放松。

13 licensing   

v.批准，许可，颁发执照( license的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• A large part of state regulation consists of occupational licensing. 大部分州的管理涉及行业的特许批准。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• That licensing procedures for projects would move faster. 这样的工程批准程序一定会加快。 来自辞典例句